"We take these matters very seriously," said chairman Bruce Tough. "Initially I had a little discomfort granting a private entity use of the public park lands for private purposes, but we thought there was going to be more of an expansion of that facility and it would help us with our recreational center and our rowing programs."

Tough said his hopes have not been met.

"There were many promises made that weren't kept," he said. "Now we have these two groups that can't seem to get along and can't use a facility that has been dedicated for rowing use."

The Township is looking to USRowing to guide the two clubs through mediation.

John Wik, director of referee programs for the sanctioning body for rowing across the United State, already has begun discussions with both clubs.

"USRowing realizes it has the responsibility to help member organizations with corporate governance issues," Wik said. "We will not be going in and giving instruction on what to do. We will help them try to come up with a consensus."

Wik said he encouraged the clubs to designate a representative who could commit the groups to a resolution once formed. He will travel to The Woodlands on Feb. 11 to work on a solution in person.

"I think both clubs have already demonstrated that they recognize it's in the best interest of the athletes and the community that they resolve these issues," he said. "USRowing has the same goals."

In the meantime, Tough requested that the Township enter into a month-to-month lease agreement with Parati for temporary use of the boathouse. The lease will terminate in four months, and Township staff members are to determine the terms.

John Powers, the Township's assistant general manager for community service, said staff had met several times with the presidents of each club, hoping the two groups could agree to share the boathouse at Northshore Park.

The Rowing Club of The Woodlands was not willing to share the facility.

The Township first became aware of the issue when Parati asked the board to consider a ground lease, allowing Parati to build a boathouse at Northshore Park for its competitive youth program.

The directors, however, moved to take no action in response to the proposal.

Parati's president, Tom Dalton, said members of the Rowing Club had split when junior rowers were blocked from using the boathouse during a disagreement among members. The court later ruled against padlocking the facility. Parents became concerned that their children's needs were not being met and decided to create their own group.

In a letter to the Township, Charles Dixon, president of the Rowing Club of The Woodlands, said the current boathouse is not large enough to hold both clubs.

The Rowing Club has existed for 23 years on Lake Woodlands and occupied Northshore Park with a temporary boat-storage facility for 10 years. At the Nov. 14 meeting, the Township board also directed staff to conduct a feasibility study for a community use boathouse at Northshore Park.

Chris Nunes, director of parks and recreation, was charged with heading the feasibility study.

"For years, the Rowing Club of The Woodlands was permitted to have a temporary storage facility at Northshore Park," Nunes said.

The club had a ground lease with the Township, Nunes said. The boathouse consisted of storage containers totaling 5600 square feet owned by the Rowing Club of The Woodlands.

After the club split, Parati Competitive Rowing lost a facility. Members appealed to the Township for help.

Nunes said staff first looked to accommodate the needs of both clubs.

In all, four options were created - from 5,040 square feet to 14,280 square feet. Depending on the model, the capital construction costs could range from $320,545 to $2.17 million, according to the study.

Annual operational costs could range from $10,000 to $173,000 depending on the size and scope of the boathouse.

Revenue projections are also dependent on the model - ranging from $55,000 to $350,000 per year.

Nunes also determined that a facility could take from eight months to two years to build.

Lake Woodlands is becoming increasing popular, the study noted. Since the opening of Riva Row Boat House, kayak rentals have grown from 4,900 to 8,300 per year.

The 200-acre lake has four points of public access - Northshore Park, the Cove Park, Southshore Park and Riva Row Park. Northshore is the only park with a boat ramp and is also the only park with a dedicated parking lot.

The next meeting of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 at 2801 Technology Forest Blvd.